A New Hope
by lordessoftherings
Summary: The CDC lab doesn't exist. The group is being sent to a hopeful lab in Seattle, Washington. Along the way, they run out of food, water, and are on the verge of being found by Zeroes. They are helped by a teenage girl, who has some secrets of her own. Told in the view point of the girl. Not recommended for kids under 11/12. WILL NOT BE CONTINUED sorry everyone who enjoyed it so far
1. Chapter 1

**_In case you're wondering, I like long stories with short chapters. So, that's how I'm gonna write this one. This chapter may or may not be the longest chapter in the story. I have a lot to write about in this chapter. If you don't like it, too bad. This is rated M for violence, and eventually, more violence. It's a zombie apocalypse; not a Teletubby bedtime story._**

 _I looked out the window. "Rose, dinner's ready!" I heard someone shout from behind me. I smiled at the sound of Petunia's voice. I got up, turned and ran to the dining room. When I got there though, I screamed in horror; Petunia and the rest of my family were lying on the floor, covered in blood. Hovering over them were ten zombies, feasting on them. They turned from their meal and faced me. I couldn't move; I was frozen in fear as the zombies jumped up and ran towards me..._

I sat up quickly from my nightmare. I was breathing hard and sweating. I looked around myself. I was still on the second floor in the same old barn I had been spending the last 2 months in, in California, with lots of food, water, ammo, and other much needed provisions.

I shook my head to keep from falling asleep again, then glanced outside. The sun was starting to rise, and it was starting to get warmer. I stood up, rolled my sleeping bag up, and tucked it in with the hay. I went downstairs to check my supplies.

I had plenty of food and water, but I was really running low on ammunition.

I grabbed my bag, then filled it with some water, food, a knife, a gun, ammo, and rocks. Then I slung the bag over my shoulder, and walked back upstairs, over towards the window next to where I usually slept. I leaned out to make sure the coast was clear of zombies. Like usual, it was. I slid down the roof to the ladder, then climbed the rest of the way down.

When my feet touched the ground, I put my pack on the ground and opened it up. I pulled out a gun, and tucked it into my pocket. I didn't have one of those gun harnesses, which would come in handy if I ever found one, so for now, I improvised. I strung the bag over my shoulder again, then started walking towards the town, about fifteen minutes away.

The woods are always quiet, so I usually take that route to the town. I could use the road, but I've had bad experience with that, so I just stayed with the woods. Besides. the woods are almost always deserted, so I can think about things as I walked.

The snap of a branch up ahead stopped me. I pulled my gun out of my pocket and hid behind a tree. I carefully peeked around the tree.

In the clearing, a man was looking around, clearly lost. I was about to go ask him if he needed help, when he turned, and I saw part of his face. I held back a scream.

 _Escorpion._

I hid behind the tree again. I almost dropped my gun. I rolled my right sleeve up my arm to reveal a Z, just like all Zeroes have when they join. I gulped, then rolled my sleeve back down.

 _What's Escorpion doing here?_

I peeked back around the tree to see Escorpion head left, away from the town. I tucked the gun back into my pocket, and waited til I figured he was out of earshot. Then I ran right, towards the town.

When I got to town, I heard someone shouting. I slowed my run down, and pulled my gun out again. It had come from the house I was next to. I walked to the front. The door was wide open. I snuck into the house. The noise was coming from the kitchen. I creeped over to the door.

There were six people in the middle of the kitchen looking annoyed and tired.

"Ugh, there's no food anywhere in this town!" A girl shouted angrily.

"Addy, quiet down!" A man with a beard said, looking around. "You don't want to attract anymore Zs, do you?" He asked her.

The girl, Addy, sighed.

I stood back up.

 _What are these people doing here?_

"Addy, listen to Doc. We don't want to give the Zeroes any extra help in finding us." I heard a woman said.

"Zeroes are looking for you guys?" I asked, coming out of hiding.

Everyone in the group spun around and faced me.

"Who the hell are you?" A man asked me. I couldn't help but stare at him. His skin was blue, and he was wearing a suit.

 _A suit? Who where's a suit during the apocalypse?_

"Why should I answer that?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

"Maybe because we outnumber you." A kid stated.

I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." I said slyly.

I looked them over. "Are you guys hungry?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm famished!" The man with the beard said.

"You aren't going to find food here, or anywhere else in this town." I said.

"And why not, may I ask you?" The blue guy said.

"Murphy, you don't have to-" The woman started.

"Wait, Murphy?" I asked, interrupting. "As in, The Murphy?" I asked again.

"The one and only." He said, taking a bow.

"You said we couldn't find food anywhere in this town. Why not?" The black woman said, glaring at Murphy.

I sighed. "I already took all of the food when I first got here. There's nothing left here."

An awkward silence followed for a minute.

"I may have a proposition for you." The woman said.

"I'm listening." I said.

"You have shelter, food, water, and other things, correct?"

"Yeah."

"So, if you let us stay with you for a while, we would let you come with us."

"Ok."

"What do you think?"

I thought about it.

 _Well, why not? There's safety in numbers._

"I guess that would work." I said. "But, of course I'll need to know your names." I continued.

The woman smiled. "I'm Lieutenant Roberta Warren. That's Murphy."

Blue guy.

"Doc."

Guy with beard.'

"Vasquez."

Macho-looking guy.

"10K."

Kid in the corner with a rifle.

"And that's Addy."

Other girl in the group.

"Nice to met you guys." I said, smiling.

"And you are?" Doc asked.

"People call me Trin." I said.

"But what's your real name?" Addy asked.

My smile kind of faded. "I'd prefer not to say." I said.

"So, how far away is your base?" Warren asked.

"About fifteen minutes away. But I came here because I'm running low on ammo." I said.

"Wait, you have ammo?" Vasquez asked.

I nodded. "Here, I'll show you the house." I said. I led them out to the main road.

As we walked, I felt like someone was watching me. When I turned to check, Vasquez's eyes quickly darted away. I looked back to the road in front of me again, but I could still feel him watching me. I looked down at my arm, and realized that my sleeve had rolled up slightly, and you could almost see the Z tattoo. I quickly pulled it back down.

 _Yeah, that's the last thing I need; the people who are being chased by Zeroes to find out that I'm an ex-Zero. No thank you._

"Here we are." I said, stopping in front of a house. "Come on." I walked up to the porch and opened the door.

Inside, there were literally guns and ammo everywhere. "Why are there so many guns here?" Addy asked, coming in behind me.

I shrugged as the rest of them walked in. "I think there may have been some crazy gun freak here, but I don't know." I said. "But, there's a lot of ammo, and different kinds of guns. You can find some in every single room." I continued.

Warren nodded. "Okay, we don't want to take too long, so find as much ammo for your guns as possible, then meet back here in ten minutes." Warren said. After she finished, everyone split up to different rooms and floors.

I went down to the basement, where it seemed like no one had gone.

The basement had the ammo that I used for my gun. It also had all sorts of non-gun weapons, like knives and swords.

I took my bag off of my shoulder, and grabbed some boxes of ammo. I opened my bag and put them in there. Then, I looked at the other weapons there. They could come in handy.

I hadn't even realized 10K had walked in until he said "How come you're wearing a long sleeved shirt?"

I jumped and turned when he finished. When I realized it was him, I sighed. "You don't sneak up on someone during the apocalypse kid. It's how you get shot." I said. I turned back to the knifes.

"You didn't answer my question. How come you're wearing a long sleeved shirt, when we're in the middle of California?" 10K asked again, walking up next to me. He grabbed a random knife and put it in his own bag.

I shrugged. "I get cold easily." I lied.

10K didn't say anything, but I could tell he didn't buy it. I decided to change the subject quickly.

"How come you're name is 10K?" I asked.

"It's the number of zombies I'm planning on killing." He said.

I held back a laugh. "How many are you on?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

 _How is anyone supposed to stay alive that long during the apocalypse?_

"Six thousand, four hundred and thirty two." 10K said.

I whistled. "That's a lot. What happens when you reach ten thousand?" I asked.

"I change my name." He said simply.

I didn't ask anymore questions. Instead, I thought about, strangely, Chester's Fried Chicken. Yum.

"Where's the rifle ammo?" 10K asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Um, second floor, first door to the right." I said.

10K walked away.

I sighed, and grabbed a Bowie knife.

 _Why does it have to be so hard to survive?_


	2. Chapter 2

_**OneOddOod:Loving it! Your OC character is awesome and I can't wait to see what her back story is. Also, I loved how you wrote 10k's lines; he's very observant so I liked when he called out her long sleeves. Again, loving it and thank you!**_

 _ **Your welcome! Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you like it so far.**_

 _ **So, I'm getting a lot of positive feedback on this, and a lot of likes/follows. Thanks everyone!**_

 ** _I know a lot of you guys want some more of Trin's backstory, so here you go! Enjoy!_**

I walked outside to where everyone else was. "Are we ready to go?" I asked them.

"Yeah." Warren said.

"Okay then. Lets go on the forest route. It's only a fifteen minute walk." I started walking, then remembered that was where I had seen Escorpion, and I didn't need him anywhere near me. I stopped walking.

"What is it?" Addy asked. They all stopped behind me.

"We have to take the road." I said. I turned and started walking the opposite direction.

"Wait, how far away is it if we take the road?" Murphy asked. I stopped walking again.

"Actually, it takes an extra fifteen minutes." I admitted.

"Then we're going the forest route." Murphy said. He started walking off in that direction.

"I saw Escorpion there." I blurted out. Murphy froze.

"He was looking around for something, then disappeared into the woods. I don't know where he went, but it's not safe to go in that direction." I continued.

They all waited a moment. "Are you sure it was him?" Vasquez asked me. I nodded.

"Don't know anyone else who looks like him." I said.

"I guess we're taking the road then." Warren said.

Doc sighed. "When will things ever be easy again?" He asked as we started walking along the road.

I stared off into the distance as we walked along. I could tell everyone else was ready, but I didn't need to be. This place was one of the few zombie-free zones left in the world.

"So, Trin, huh?" Addy asked, walking up next to me. "Why not your real name?"

I shrugged. "I don't like it. It's too weird." I said.

"So, um, where's everyone at from the town?" Addy asked.

I shrugged again. "I honestly don't know. I found it about three months ago like that."

Addy whistled. "You've been here all alone for three months?"

I thought for a second. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Is that why you're acting so cool?"

"Yeah. I've haven't seen a zombie in this area for about... A month."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Huh." Addy said.

We continued to walk.

"Did you live in California before the apocalypse?" Addy asked after a few minutes of silence.

I laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you where I used to live." I said.

"How far away is your place?" Murphy asked.

I stopped and looked around. "Probably another fifteen minutes." I decided.

"Ugh..." Murphy said.

I glared at him.

"How about we take a break." Warren said. "We've been walking for a while." Warren told me. I nodded. "That's okay." I told her.

We all sat down in the middle of the road.

"What were you saying about me not believing you?" Addy asked me as I sat down next to her.

"Oh, that you wouldn't believe where I lived before this." I said.

"Try me."

I sighed. "New Orleans." I said finally.

Addy stared at me. "Really?"

"See! I told you you wouldn't believe me." I said.

"No no, I believe you!" Addy said quickly. "What was it like growing up there?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. You couldn't walk on certain streets after dark." I said.

"So, how'd you get here?"

I sighed. "A couple of weeks before the apocalypse began, my parents sent me to New Mexico to stay with my grandmother for a while. They said since I was an A+ student, it would be okay with my school. So, I packed my stuff and left. A couple of weeks after I got there though, it was different. I came home from the beach one day, and my grandmother was a Z."

I heard Addy gasp.

"Yeah. In the end, I killed her with screwdriver. After that, I figured out what had happened. I guess my grandmother didn't get a chance to figure it out though." I stared at the road.

It was so quiet, if there was a pen to be dropped, you would've been able to hear it.

"I'm sorry." Addy said finally. It was then I realized that everyone in the group had been listening to my story.

"Yeah, well, sorry's can't change the past." I said. I stood up. "Are we ready to go?" I asked.

Everybody else stood up.

"Okay then. Let's get moving." I said. I started walking, and everyone else followed.

A few minutes later, Murphy shouted. "Charlie horse!" He grabbed his leg.

I sighed. "Fine then, we'll have another break." I said.

Murphy let go of his leg. "Thank god." He sat on the road.

I rolled my eyes, but stayed standing.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Vasquez asked me.

I shook my head.

Vasquez stood up. "You know, I don't believe you." He said.

I looked at him. "I haven't lied once." I said.

"Maybe you haven't lied yet, but you certainly know more than you're telling us." Vasquez continued. Everyone else turned and looked at us.

I smirked. "And what's that?" I tried to keep from laughing.

Vasquez didn't answer my question. "What are you hiding under your sleeve?" He asked.

The smirk from my face fell down into a frown. "I don't know what you're talking about."

If Warren had not grabbed Vasquez, then I don't know what would've happened to me. She grabbed Vasquez, and I quickly backed up away from the two of them.

"Vasquez, stop!" Warren shouted at him.

"She knows more than she's telling us!" Vasquez shouted back at her. He stopped pulling towards me.

"What makes you think so?" Warren asked, letting go of him.

"Several reasons. One, she's wearing a long sleeved shirt in the middle of a hot California summer." Vasquez pointed out.

"I get cold easily." I said.

"She knew who Escorpion was."

"Everyone in the apocalypse knows who he is."

"And lastly, she's hiding something on her arm.

I didn't know how to answer that.

Unfortunately, Warren noticed that. "Trin..." She started.

"You have to let me explain." I said quickly.

"Explain what?" Murphy asked.

I didn't know how to answer that either.

"You just have to hear me out." I said finally.

They all looked at each other.

 _If I need to, I could probably run into the woods and loose these guys._

"I guess we'll listen to you." Warren said.

I sighed in relief. I grabbed my right sleeve, and pulled it up slowly, until you could clearly see the tattoo, but nothing else.

"You're a Zero!" Vasquez shouted, starting to walk towards me. Warren grabbed him.

I backed up until I tripped over the edge of the road.

"I'm not a Zero!" I shouted, holding my hand up. "At least, not anymore." I said again.

They stopped walking towards me.

"You have one minute to explain." Warren said, placing her hands on her hips.

I rolled my sleeve back down. "I was in a tight spot." I started. "About a year ago, I ran out of food and water. I was being chased down by zombies, when I heard someone shout get down. I hit the ground hard, then I heard a lot of gun shots, followed by silence. I looked up, and saw a Zero standing over me. They took me to their home, game me food, water, new clothes, and a place to stay. After a while, I joined them officially.

The only problem with that, was the fact I had to work with Escorpion. He didn't like me, and always tried to get me into trouble, which led to worse things. The Queen just let him do whatever he wanted, no questions asked. I got sick of it. So one day, when I was on patrol, I saw the Queen, talking to Escorpion. It filled me with rage. I grabbed my gun, and put a bullet in her head. Then I took off running."

"Wait, but Escorpion killed the Queen." Doc said.

I shook my head. "Not the same one. She wasn't the first Zero Queen, and she definitely won't be the last one." I said.

I waited to see what they would do. Kill me? Leave me? Steal my stuff then run away?

"How far away are we from your base?" Warren asked finally.

I stared at her. "Um, only over the next hill." I said after a moment's hesitation.

Warren nodded. "Okay then. Lead the way." She said.

I stared at her. So did everyone else.

"But, Warren,-" Addy started.

"We'll talk about it when we get there." Warren said. She looked at me. "If that's all right with you."

I quickly nodded, then started walking.

When we reached the top of the hill, you could see the barn I'd been staying in as clear as daylight.

"Where is it?" Doc asked from behind me.

I smiled. "Where do you think?" I asked him. I started jogging towards it.

 _Home sweet home._


	3. Chapter 3

_**oneoddood: Another great chapter, thank you! I can't wait to see what the group will do when they get inside the barn; steal all her stuff and bolt, take her with them despite her Zero connections, or there might be a nasty surprise waiting for them inside: zombies or Escorpion! I was also wondering if you planned on having any romance in your story? Regardless, the story is awesome and I thank you again for adding to the Z Nation fandom, there definitely isn't enough fan fiction for this fantastic show!**_

 _ **Author; Thanks! As a matter of fact, I do have some romance planned for this fic. I'm not saying who it is yet, but you'll figure it out soon enough!**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who reads this! I'm glad that you guys like it. I've worked very hard on it so far, and we haven't even gotten to the exciting part yet!**_

I walked up to the side of the barn. "Entrance is in the back." I called to them.

"Why can't we just use the front?" Murphy asked.

I spun around and faced him. "Because the door barely works." I stated.

"We might as well try." Murphy said. He started trying to open the door.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Yeah, lets try opening a door that barely works, so that if it ends up getting stuck and being unable to close again, zombies will have a free walk in." I said sarcastically.

Murphy stopped trying to pull the door open.

"That's what I thought." I said. I walked around to the back of the barn. "I hope none of you guys are afraid of heights." I said, stopping in front of a ladder.

The ladder was 20 feet tall, and that only got to the roof of the first floor. It was another 10 feet up the roof to get to the top floor, which was the official entrance.

"No way. I'm not going to climb that ladder to death." Murphy said.

I sighed. "There's no other way up."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Addy asked, eyeballing the ladder. "It looks kind of unstable."

I shrugged. "It's worked for me. I don't know how it'll work for you guys." I leaned against the edge of the barn.

"Well, if it's the only way up, I guess we'll have to take that chance." Warren said. She grabbed the ladder, and got ready to start climbing.

"When you get to the top of the ladder, you'll have to climb the roof a little bit, just to get to the window." I told her. "But go quickly, because the roof can be slippery."

Warren nodded, then started climbing. We waited two minutes.

"Send Murphy up next!" Warren shouted down.

"Why me?" Murphy muttered under his breath. He started climbing.

Then Addy, Vasquez, 10K, and Doc went up, until it was only me left.

I looked around. There was a large field behind the barn, that stretched for a few miles. Then there were the woods that stood on the outside of clearing. It was a beautiful view from the top of the barn.

I noticed something on the edge of woods. I squinted at it. I couldn't tell what it was.

I was about to go check it out, when I heard Vasquez's voice from above. "Are you coming up?"

"Yeah." I shouted up. I looked once more out towards the edge of the woods, then started climbing the ladder.

When I climbed into through the window, everyone else was waiting for me. "What were you doing?" 10K asked.

"I thought I saw something in the woods, but it's nothing." I said.

They didn't seem to believe me, but there was no surprise there. I had lied to them before. Well, I didn't really lie. I just... With held information from them about my past.

Okay, maybe that's lying, but whatever.

"So, this is where I've been living." I said after a moment of awkward silence.

The floor we were on was huge. There were several stacks of hay scattered all around. In the corner near the window was my stuff. And that was it.

"Well, I'm starving." Doc said. "Where's the food?"

I pointed down. "I keep it downstairs."

"Why?" Addy asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, it just seemed easier at the time." I walked over to the ladder. "This is how you get down." I said.

"Great, another ladder." Murphy said.

"If you don't like it, you can stay up here all the time." I told him. "It really doesn't matter to me."

I climbed down the ladder. Everyone else followed.

"And, this is where I store things." I said when everyone had gotten down.

This floor was bigger than the top floor. There were stalls along all of the walls, which was good for storing items in different places.

I walked out into the middle of the barn. I pointed to my right. "I keep most of the stuff in those five stalls. Food, water, ammo, guns, clothes-."

Addy cut me off there. "Wait, you have extra clothes?"

I nodded. "Most of it doesn't fit me, but it'll probably fit you guys." I told them.

"Sweet." Addy said.

They all split off and started wandering around. Warren stayed here with me.

"This is a pretty nice setup." She told me.

"Thanks." I said.

"And you got all of this stuff by yourself?"

"Actually, no. I had some help." I admitted.

"Is this help still around?" Warren asked me.

I shook my head. "Not for a while now." I told her.

"Oh." Was all Warren said.

"Warren! There's all sorts of food in this stall!" Doc shouted. "Come check it out!"

Warren walked over to him.

I walked back over to the ladder and climbed up to the top again. I walked over to my things and dropped my pack down with it. I left my food and other stuff in there though.

 _Who knows how much those guys might eat._

I walked over to the window and looked out. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was turning orange. I smiled a little bit.

 _I bet Petunia would've loved this view._

I shook my head of that thought. It wouldn't help to think about her.

That was when I realized it was very quiet below me. I carefully walked over to the ladder and climbed down. I could hear them talking in the stall next to me, so I crept over and listened to their conversation.

"What are we going to do about Trin?" I heard Warren ask.

 _They're trying to figure out what to do_

"She's a Zero, we can't trust her, and we should leave now before anything bad happens." Vasquez said. I frowned. I did not like that guy.

"I don't know. I mean, when I talked to her, she seemed kind of sad and lonely." Addy said.

"Remember what happened last time we got into trouble with Zeroes?" I heard Murphy ask them. "They're still hunting us down now."

"Yeah, but Trin is an ex-Zero." Addy pointed out.

"And she did lead us here even when we knew her secret." Doc added. At least, I think it was Doc. He sounded like he was eating something while he talked.

Silence followed for a couple of seconds.

"It could be good to have a Zero with us." 10K said. "I mean, she knows what Zeroes think like, and what hey might do next."

More silence followed.

"I think we should keep her with us. For now." Warren said finally. "Who agrees?"

No one said anything, so that either meant they were raising their hands, or no one was agreeing with her.

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Vasquez said.

I chose this opportunity too run back to the ladder and climb. I had just finished climbing the ladder, and was standing above it, when I heard Warren ask "Trin?"

"Coming!" I said. I waited a minute, then climbed down the ladder.

"Where are some clothes at?" Warren asked when I was down. She didn't mention the conversation they had just had.

 _Oh, so you guys can keep secrets, but I can't?_

I realized they were all still wearing Zero clothes from however long ago they had been there.

"Follow me." I said. I walked over to one of the stalls and opened it.

Inside there was all sorts of styles of clothing. "Knock yourself out." I told them.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Ok, just so everyone knows, I just watched the season 2 finale of Z Nation. I now know what happens. But, I'm still doing what I had planed. Vasquez is still part of the group. Escorpion is the enemy still. 10K makes it out alive (which we all already know will happen). And Murphy is still, well, Murphy.**_

 _I ran down the street. I was being chased by a giant group of zombies. I had no ammo left, and I had dropped my knife a while ago. But what was a knife going to do to a group of zombies the same size as a dump truck? I turned a corner and kept running. "Help!" I screamed. "Help!" No one answered. I continued to run. I turned another corner and ran into something. I fell backwards and looked up to see what I had run into. It was a zombie. But not just any zombie. Petunia. I stared at her, unable to move. She opened her zombie mouth wide, and lunged at me._

I sat up in my sleeping bag, sweating again. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair.

 _I gotta stop having these dreams._

I looked around. Everyone else was still sleeping.

After I had showed them the clothes, they all changed into new outfits. Then, we came up here and started feasting on snack food. Doc mentioned how he hadn't had a chocolate bar in forever, so I broke out my secret stash of candy, which made everyone happy. I also found a box of Oreos, which just so happened to be 10K's favorite snack food. After we finished eating, since it was dark out, we all went to sleep.

Until now.

I unzipped the sleeping bag and stood up. I was tired, but I was not going back to sleep tonight. Not with those nightmares.

I walked over to the window and looked out. It was still dark out, but it wasn't cloudy, so you could see the stars.

"One of the good things about the apocalypse is that there's no more pollution." I muttered to myself.

I looked back into the room. Everyone was sleeping still.

 _Am I the only one who has these awful nightmares about my past?_

I looked back out the window.

Since I was bored, I went downstairs and walked into one of the stalls. Inside were some books and flashlights. I grabbed a red flashlight, and a random book. Then I climbed back up.

Normally if I did some late night reading, I would light a lantern. But that was when I was alone. Now that I'm with other people, I have to settle for a little less light. But that's okay.

I sat in my corner and turned the flashlight on. I looked at the cover to see what I was reading. _Then There Were None, by Agatha Cristie._

I sighed with relief, and started reading. I don't know how long I was reading for, but when I looked up again, the sun was starting to rise outside.

"You're an early riser." Someone said.

I turned and saw that Murphy was now awake, along with 10K and Doc.

"I guess you could say that." I didn't mention the fact that I'd been awake for a couple of hours now.

While they started doing random things, I continued to read.

"What are you reading kid?" Doc asked me.

"I never agreed to be called 'kid'." I said, not looking up from my book.

"Ok then. What are you reading Trin?" Doc asked me again.

I sighed. "You know, I think I prefer Kid." I said.

"Can you just answer the question?" Doc asked me, exasperated.

"Then There Were None."

"What?"

"That's the name of the book. It's about a murder mystery."

"Is it good?"

I shrugged. "I've liked it since I was ten. My family didn't like it though." I turned the page.

"Oh." Doc said. He walked away, probably to get food from downstairs.

A few minutes later, 10K walked over to the window.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked me.

I looked up at him. "Maybe. It depends." I said, putting the book down and leaning against the wall.

"On?"

"On what the question is"

"How come you woke up in the middle of the night, but didn't try to go back to sleep?"

I sat up a little bit. "How'd you-"

"I'm a light sleeper. And as quiet as you think you are, you aren't quiet in the night." 10K said. He smirked a little bit.

I looked down at the ground. I was thinking about answering, when I heard Doc scream downstairs.

Murphy, 10K and I all ran to the ladder. Doc was below us, pinned to the ladder by a zombie.

"Help!" Doc shouted. The zombie almost bit down on Doc's arm, when a hole appeared in the zombie's head. It collapsed to the ground.

I looked over to my left. 10K was putting away his sling shot. "Six thousand, four hundred and thirty-three." 10K said.

"Nice shot kid!" Doc shouted up to us.

"Where the hell did that zombie come from?" I called down.

"I don't know, but-" Murphy interrupted Doc.

"Doc, more zombies coming you're way!" Murphy shouted. He pointed to the other end of the barn, where more zombies were coming out of nowhere.

"Oh boy." Doc said. He turned and climbed the ladder quickly. He got up here just before the zombies started pulling on the ladder.

We stared down at all of the zombies. "There's never been this many in this area." I said.

"I'm gonna go wake everyone else up." Doc said, walking off.

"Good idea." I muttered. I walked over to the window. "Look on the bright side; at least we still have the ladder to climb up and down." I said, trying to sound cheery. I was failing miserably.

"This place is a death trap." Murphy said behind me. I with held the urge to turn and slap him.

""If you don't like it, then maybe you should go join the zombies down below us." I said, not even trying to sound nice.

"You know what sister, I don't like your attitude." Murphy stated.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him. "Like I so care." I said sarcastically.

Murphy glared at me. I returned the favor.

We glared at each other for a minute before I finally looked away from Murphy and walked over to the ladder. I stared down at the zombies clawing at the ladder, trying to get to me.

It was terrifying.

And yet I still stood there, not even caring about the fact that they wanted to eat me.

I heard someone behind me. "10K, I swear if you keep sneaking up behind me-" I said, turning. I stopped talking when I realized it wasn't 10K.

It was Escorpion.

I couldn't say anything. So, I started backing away from him.

"Trin. I haven't seen you in a long time." Escorpion said, starting to walk towards me.

I didn't say anything. I stopped backing up when I realized that I would end up falling down the hole.

"I'm glad you're here." Escorpion said. Then he pulled out his golden gun and pointed it at me.

"Stop right there Escorpion." Warren said from behind him. I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Put your gun down, and I won't have to shoot you." Warren continued.

Escorpion laughed. "Are these your new friends?" Escorpion asked me.

"Of a sort." I answered.

Escorpion laughed again. "They may have delayed it, but they can't delay it forever. I will kill you one day, with this very gun." Escorpion said.

I felt like I was freezing over. Escorpion dropped his gun.

Warren grabbed him from behind and shoved him over towards the window. Vasquez pointed his gun at Escorpion, but didn't shoot.

"You okay?" Warren asked me. I unfroze.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I said.

No one said anything else.

I turned and looked down to the second floor. There were still a lot of zombies.

"So, what now?" I asked.


	5. Chapter 5

_**oneoddood:**_ _ **Loved it! Thank you for another great chapter! Can't wait to see what happens between Trin and Escorpion; he really seems to hate her for killing the last queen, but I wonder if there is more to the story? Also, really loving the 10th and Trin moments. I like the battle between his quiet and her quiet lol! Again, thank you!**_

 _ **Author; no problem! I'm glad so many people like this fic, it's really nice. I'll try to update it a little more often, but good chapters take time. I'm no speed writer. Some chapters are easy, but some chapters I have to spend a while trying to plot out. Hopefully I'll have some good luck with this chapter.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, that's not the case with this chapter. I'm sorry it's been a while. I got sick, then I got busy, and I have all sorts of homework to catch up on too. Sorry for the delay.**_

I felt like screaming. Escorpion was here, and he remembered more about the past than I needed.

We had been sitting around for the past three hours, trying to figure out something.

"Well this is just great." Murphy said sarcastically. "What's our next big idea on how to survive out here?"

"I don't know Murphy." Warren said, clearly annoyed.

"I know what we should do." Murphy stated. He pointed at me and Escorpion. "We should get rid of these two as soon as possible."

I stared at Murphy. "I understand getting rid of Escorpion. I mean, he's Escorpion. But why get rid of me?" I asked.

"Easy. You lied to us, and led us to a death trap." Murphy said. "For all we know, you're actually working with Escorpion."

I glared at him and stood up. "Are you serious? I will never work with Escorpion, or for him, again. And I sure as hell did not lead you to a death trap." I said.

"Oh really? And why should we trust you?" Murphy asked me.

I could feel my gun in my pocket. It was feeling like a pretty good option at the moment.

"We can trust her because she gave us food, water, and a change of clothes." Addy said, sticking up for me.

"And what good will that do us now? In case you hadn't realized, all of that is below us, behind a giant bunch of zombies." Murphy said.

"Why don't you just send them away then with your mind powers?" I asked.

"And what makes you think I have 'mind powers', as you so lovingly refer to them as." Murphy said.

I shrugged. "A lot of radio talk up and down the West Coast. At the right time, you can hear a lot of good stuff about 'The Murphy', as everyone so lovingly calls you." I said, smirking.

"Wait, you have a radio?" Addy asked, standing up.

I nodded.

"Where is it? Can we use it?" Addy asked me rapid fire.

"I'll bet it's downstairs." Murphy said.

I looked at him, and pulled a radio out of my backpack next to me. I gave Murphy an evil smile, and tossed it to Addy. "Careful, it's the only one I have." I said, sliding back down to the ground.

"Does the battery still work?" Addy asked. She turned it on. Static started sounding. "I guess that answers my question." Addy said. She started twisting the knob to different stations.

"If you're looking for that guy who does the weather, Citizen Z, he hasn't been on in a while." I said. "Which sucks, because I miss hearing what was happening everywhere else in America." I said.

"Why'd he stop broadcasting?" Warren asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. He left a farewell message, which should still be playing on repeat, but-" The radio interrupted me as the Citizen Z guy started saying his message.

I sighed. "There it is."

Addy turned up the volume. I didn't need to listen, because I'd heard it several times already. Blah blah blah, I've been compromised, blah blah blah, don't go to the CDC lab, blah blah blah, someone else knows everything about Murphy, blah blah blah.

Citizen Z's voice disappeared into the static.

"Well, that's even better. Now what are we supposed to do?" Murphy asked.

"I don't know Murphy." Warren said.

"Well, and I say this again, we should take care of these two." Murphy said, pointing at me and Escorpion again.

"In case you hadn't realized, if I hadn't brought you here, Escorpion would've found you in the woods." I pointed out. "And you wouldn't have heard what Citizen Z had to say. And you would've starved. All of these things would have happened to you had I not brought you here. So a little appreciation would be nice." I said.

Murphy didn't say anything else.

"Why don't we just leave?" Doc asked. We all turned our attention to him. "We could climb down the ladder, then hit the road." Doc continued.

"We'd never make it on foot." Vasquez said.

"There's a truck out there in the clearing behind the barn. It still runs, and it has gas cans in it." I said.

"That will help. But how do we know if it's save?" Warren asked.

"I vote we send Escorpion down first." I said.

"We can't trust that he won't take off running when he reaches the ground. And he knows where the truck is now too." Vasquez said.

"Then I vote her." Murphy said, pointing at me.

I glared at him.

"We're not going to vote on who goes. We need someone to volunteer." Warren said.

Everyone looked at each other.

Murphy kept staring at me, obviously wanting me to volunteer.

I broke eye contact with him. "I guess I'll go. I mean, I'm used to climbing up and down that ladder quickly anyways." I said.

"Great!" Murphy said.

"Shut up Murphy." I said. I grabbed my backpack and walked over to the window. I peeked out. For all I knew, I was siding down to my death.

I stepped out onto the roof, and almost fell off the roof. The roof was a lot more slippery than I remembered.

I slid down to the ladder carefully, that way I didn't go over the edge.

I looked over the edge. It was clear. I sighed in relief. "There's no zombies." I called up to them.

"They might be hiding. You need to go down all of the way." I heard Murphy call back.

I growled under my breath, but started climbing down the ladder.

When I hit the ground, I stood by the ladder, ready to run if needed. I pulled a knife out of my belt, and held it ready, just in case. I looked around carefully. I even walked away from the ladder to peek around both of the sides of the barn. No zombies.

 _I guess they're all inside._

I sighed in relief, and put the knife back into my belt. I walked back over to the ladder. I could see the truck in the distance, and I was filled with that urge to run again. And why not? Escorpion was here, and I had no idea on what the others were planning on doing with him. It might be safer to leave now, before Escorpion could get to me.

I shook the feeling away, and climbed up the ladder.

When I reached the top, I called out "It's clear of zombies."

"Great, we'll start sending people down." Warren quietly shouted down.

I climbed back down the ladder to ground.

I leaned up against the back of the barn on lookout as everyone came down. Doc, Murphy, 10K, Addy, Warren, then Vasquez.

When Vasquez reached the ground, I noticed something. "Where's Escorpion?" I asked.

"I tied him up there." Vasquez said simply. "We can't bring him with us. He's too dangerous."

"What good will that do? He survived falling into a pit of Zs. That guy's immortal." Addy said.

"I'm good with leaving him up there." I said. "Come on." I started walking towards the truck. Everyone else followed.

When we reached the truck, Warren started it up, as everyone else stood lookout.

"Shotgun." Murphy shouted, getting in on the other side.

I sighed, and hopped into the back with Doc, Addy, and 10K. Vasquez pushed Murphy into the back seat of the truck, and sat in shotgun.

I looked out at the barn as we drove away. I couldn't help but wish it goodbye in my mind. I had stayed here for almost three months, and now I was leaving my safe house and hitting the road into the dangerous world again. It was kind of scary.

I took my backpack off, and leaned against the side of the truck, as my home disappeared as we got further and further away.


	6. Chapter 6

The truck started slowing down. I sat up in the back of the truck. "Is it already time to switch drivers?" I asked. 10K, Warren, and Doc shrugged.

We'd been taking turns driving every hour for the past three hours. The further away we went from my safe zone, the less safe I felt.

The truck pulled to a stop on the side of the road. Vasquez and Addy stepped out of the truck.

"Warren, there's a split in the road." Addy said. We all stood up in the back of the truck to look.

Sure enough, we had reached a crossroads in the road. One way continued on the highway, and the other road went off towards a city.

"Is that San Francisco?" Warren asked. She pulled out some binoculars and looked.

I looked over at the city. "Oh no." I muttered.

"We should go there. Get some more supplies." Addy said.

"No we shouldn't." I said. "San Francisco's filled with zombies. And people." I stated.

"How do you know that?" Warren asked.

I took the binoculars from her. "I spent some time there about a year ago. It's one of the most dangerous places in California." I said, looking into the binoculars. I could see buildings and zombies. Not a lot of alive people though.

"Trin's right. If there's a lot of zombies there, we might not have enough ammo to get out safely." Vasquez said.

"Guys, you might want to look ahead on the road." 10K said. He was looking up ahead through his scope.

Warren took the binoculars back from me and looked through them. "Is that a tank?" Warren asked.

This caught my attention. I looked up ahead. "Oh no." I said again.

No one listened to me.

"That's a tank." Vasquez confirmed.

"Do you think they could help us?" Doc asked.

"We need to leave and go to San Francisco." I said.

Everyone looked at me.

"I thought you said it would be bad to go to San Francisco." Addy said.

"I changed my mind." I said simply.

"Why?" Vasquez asked.

I pointed at the tank, which was getting closer and easier to see every minute. "The people in that tank are worse than any zombie ever." I said.

"What makes you say that?" Warren asked. She looked through the binoculars again.

"Have you guys not heard of Scavengers?" I asked.

They all shook their heads no.

"Scavengers are people who thrive off of the apocalypse. Most of them used to be military soldiers." I said. "About two years ago, they formed a group. This group goes to towns, cities, any place that looks safe, and ruins it. They take food, water, ammo, equipment, guns, anything they want, and then kill everyone that's there. Then they leave, and move on to another place, up and down the West Coast." I said. I didn't even bother to keep the fear out of my voice.

"How do you know this?" Doc asked.

"I knew a guy in this area. He told me about them. Helped me hide from them." I said. I stared at the tank getting closer. "The people in that tank are ruthless, killing machines, and have no mercy."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds.

"I guess we're going to San Francisco then." Addy said. She and Vasquez hopped back into the truck, while Doc, 10K, Warren and I sat back down.

Vasquez started up the truck, and hit the gas pedal. We started heading towards San Francisco.

As we got closer, Vasquez pulled the truck over to the side of the road again.

"Now what?" Warren asked.

Vasquez, Addy and Murphy hopped out. "We should continue one foot. The zombies will hear the truck if we drive it through the city." Vasquez said.

"Okay then." Warren said. "Let's grab as much as we can carry, then keep going on foot." Warren hopped out of the back of the truck.

I put my backpack on and hopped out of the truck as well.

"Well, this is just great. Didn't we get the truck so we wouldn't have to walk anymore?" Murphy asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Would you prefer to attract as many zombies as possible?" I asked him.

He glared at me.

"That's what I thought." I said.

"Okay. Is everybody ready to go?" Warren asked.

We all nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go." Warren said.

We started walking into the city.

"Wait. We shouldn't use guns." I said, stopping everyone.

"Well, why not?" Doc asked.

"Gun fire attracts zombies. If we make too much noise, there'll be more zombies." I said.

"Okay then. Get your knives and other silent stuff out people." Warren said.

We all tucked our guns away, except for 10K, who slung his rifle back over his shoulder.

We walked into San Francisco.

Honestly, I was expecting to die as soon as I stepped onto the streets. That didn't happen. As a matter of fact, as we walked further into the city, there were no zombies anywhere.

"I thought you said there were lots of zombies here." Vasquez said after we'd been walking without a sign of a single zombie for a while.

"I said there were a lot of zombies here a year ago." I corrected him. "But there's not a lot of zombies now."

"Well that much is obvious." Murphy said.

I was about to turn and smack him, when we heard gunfire up ahead.

We all looked at each other, then pulled our guns out.

A group of people ran around the corner.

"Warren..." Addy started to say.

The group of people ran right past us, and kept running.

We turned and looked at the corner just as zombies started piling out from around the corner.

"Run!" Warren shouted. We all turned and ran.

We watched as the people in front of us ran into a building.

"There!" Warren shouted, pointing to the building they had just run into.

I almost thought they were going to close the door on us, but the last person to go in held the door open.

"Come on!" He shouted.

We all ran inside. The man shut the door behind us and boarded it up.

I was out of breath. So was everyone else.

"Thanks." Warren said.

The man looked nervously at us. "You guys aren't Scavengers, are you?" He asked.

"No." I quickly said.

"We're just regular survivors." Warren said.

The man nodded. "Okay then." He said. He turned towards a door. "We're good to go guys!" He shouted.

Four more people came out holding knives.

"Are you sure we can trust these people, Roger?" A woman asked. She stared at me.

The man that had helped us nodded. "I'm pretty sure these are good people. I mean, they all have guns they could've used by now." He said. "We can put our weapons away."

The group put their knives away.

"I'm Roger." The man said. "And you guys are?" He asked us.

"I'm Warren. This is Addy, Doc, 10K, Vasquez, Trin, and David." Warren said. She had been pointing at Murphy when she'd said David.

"This is Emilia, Bob, Lucy, and Steven." Roger said, introducing us. Lucy was the woman who had been staring at me, and was still staring at me now.

"Welcome to pretty much the only safe place in San Francisco." Roger said. "Follow me."


	7. Chapter 7

**_In case no one realizes it, I've never been to San Francisco, or anywhere in California, or anywhere up the West Coast. So my descriptions aren't going to be exact._**

* * *

I walked down the hallway with everyone else. "So, where exactly are we going?" Warren asked.

"We cleared out a full floor of zombies. It's pretty much the only safe place in the apartment building." Roger said from ahead.

I peeked into one of the rooms. There were zombie bits and pieces everywhere. I closed the door and tried not to throw up. "I think I'm gonna be sick." I muttered under my breath.

"The rooms on the next floor are completely empty of zombies, but the floor after that is more secure." Roger continued. "So, if you want to look in the rooms for anything that may seem interesting, you're welcome too." Roger said.

We reached the end of the hallway. Roger opened the door to the fire escape, and we started climbing the next set of stairs.

"So, you guys thought it would be safest to stay on the third floor?" Vasquez asked.

"Yeah. It's not very far to walk, and there's a fire escape we can use in case of an emergency." Lucy said. We reached the second floor.

"You guys can go ahead and check out this floor for as long as you want. We'll be up on the next floor." Roger said. They all went upstairs, while our group stayed down here.

When they were out of earshot, Warren turned and looked at us. "Okay, what should we do?" She asked us.

"I don't know if we can trust them." I said. "I mean, Roger said that only the second and third floors were clear of zombies, so why did we casually walk through the first floor?"

"Maybe they cleared the first floor too, but just forgot to mention it." Addy said.

"I think we should stay here for a while. Get supplies, rest up, give the Scavengers a chance to get further away from us." Vasquez said.

"I think that's a good idea." Warren said. "Does anyone want to check out this floor before they go up?" She asked.

"I want to see if there's anything we can use. Maybe some radio equipment." Addy said.

"I just want to check it out." I said.

"Okay then. Anyone else?" Warren asked. No one else said anything. "Okay. We'll go up to the third floor. Trin and Addy, be careful." Warren told us.

Addy and I walked inside the third floor.

"I'll check out the rooms on the left. You check the rooms on the right." Addy said.

I nodded, and entered the first room to my right.

The blinds were open, so there was plenty of light inside. I peeked out the window. The sun was starting to set, which meant my light wouldn't last very long. I quickly checked the room. Nothing.

There was nothing in the second and third rooms either. The fourth room had more zombie guts inside.

I walked into the fifth room. This room was definitely different from the others. First, the window had a giant hole in it. Second, there was a crib in the middle of the room.

I walked around the room. There were all sorts of family pictures all over. Pictures of kids, babies, adults, and families were decorated everywhere, on every wall and counter top.

I picked up one of the pictures. It had a woman holding a baby in the picture. The picture frame read _Mother and daughter forever._

"This room is the saddest room in the building." Someone said behind me.

I spun around, dropping the picture to the floor in the process. Lucy stood next to the window.

I sighed. "Oh, it's you." I said.

"When I first got here, I was assigned this room to clear out for food and other stuff. I almost broke down in tears that day." Lucy continued.

"That doesn't surprise me. I have to try and not pay attention to the details to keep from crying." I admitted.

Lucy turned and faced me. "I recognize you." She said.

My blood turned cold. "What?" I asked, not sure if I had heard her correctly.

"I recognize you. You came through here last year, with a man. John, wasn't he?" Lucy asked.

I looked at the floor. "Yeah. John and I passed through here last year." I said.

"You're a lot different now than you were then. Back then, you didn't wear long sleeves." Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah, well a lot changes in one year." I snapped.

Lucy quieted down. "You don't remember me, do you?" She asked.

I shook my head.

Lucy sighed. "That doesn't surprise me. I've changed a lot too. A year ago, I didn't go by the name Lucy. I went by Elaine." Lucy said.

Something clicked inside my mind, like a two puzzle pieces coming together.

"Elaine. I remember you now." I said. "We were friends. I saved your life."

"Yeah. And as one friend to another, I have to tell you something." Elaine said. "It's not safe here."

My blood froze again.

"What do you mean, it's not safe here?" I asked.

"Roger's not who he says he is. And he knows that I know, so he's keeping a close eye on me. That's why I had to talk to you while you're down here." Elaine said.

"But-" I started to say.

"I can't leave. Not without everyone else. But you need to convince your group to leave, before it's too late." Elaine said.

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked.

Elaine shrugged. "I don't know. Just don't mention me, or this conversation. And make sure you keep calling me Lucy, not Elaine." Lucy said. "I have to go. Roger will be wondering where I am." She quickly left the room, leaving me to figure things out by myself.

* * *

Addy stood outside the door, having heard the whole conversation Trin had just had with Lucy. _Who's John? Where did he go? When did Trin start wearing long sleeves? Why? Why was Trin here last year? What did she safe Lucy from? And why is she keeping all of these secrets?_

All of these thoughts flew around Addy's head as she tried to figure out what to do about Trin.

* * *

"Yeah. Be out in a minute." I said. I grabbed a deck of cards and tucked it into my pocket, then ran out of the room.

Addy was waiting for me in the hallway. "Did you find anything good?" Addy asked.

"A deck of cards, but that's it." I said. I didn't mention the conversation with Lucy.

"Well, Doc and Murphy should be happy. They love playing poker, or whatever card game they like to play." Addy said. "I didn't find any radio equipment either."

"Maybe they have it all upstairs." I said, trying to sound hopeful.

"Speaking of upstairs, come on. Warren and the others might get worried." Addy said.

I nodded, and we walked down the hallway and up towards the third floor.


	8. Chapter 8

_**oneoddood; Another fantastic chapter, as we're the other two before this! I'm very interested in Trin and all her secrets. Though I'm guessing she's keeping secrets to protect herself. But in the zombie apocalypse you have to keep things close to heart so it doesn't turn around and bite you in the ass! Can't wait for more. Thank you again**_!

 _ **No problem!**_

 _ **So, in case you guys didn't realize, I'm trying to update this about once or twice a week. I'm sorry, but that's as often I'm going to be able to. Last week I almost got into some deep trouble with school because I left an essay I had to write until last minute, so I'm trying not to do that again. Thanks for understanding. Also, I'm starting to get more comfortable writing Trin as a secretive, creative person. Be ready for some shockers this chapter.**_

 _ **Strip poker is where if you lose the round, you have to take off a layer of clothing, then another layer of clothing, and so on.**_

* * *

I leaned against the wall in one of the rooms on the third floor. I guess everyone hung out mostly in this room, because everyone was in this room. Different people were in different areas, talking to different people. I felt like I was at one of my high school parties; distant and out of place everywhere.

Addy walked off towards Warren, leaving me on my own.

I spotted Doc, Murphy, and that other guy, Steven, sitting a table playing some card game. I walked over to join them.

"What are you guys playing?" I asked, taking a seat when I got there.

"A game for men only." Murphy said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh really?" I asked.

"Yeah, so go scamper along and do whatever you like to do." Murphy said, waving me alone with his hand.

I tried to keep a smile from growing on my face. I knew exactly how to play this. "Okay then. I guess if you don't want to be beat by a girl, then I guess I'll leave." I said, starting to stand up.

"You think you could beat me?" Murphy asked.

"Oh I know I could." I said.

"Well then, lets see you put your money where your mouth is." Murphy said. "Doc, give the kid some thing to play with." Murphy instructed Doc.

I sat back down, and Doc handed me some Oxycontin to play with. "So, what are we playing?" I asked as Steven dealt us out.

"We're still deciding. We could play Strip poker..." Steven suggested, looking at me.

I looked up at him. "And I could break your nose, but I think breaking your arm would be much more unpleasant for you, and much more satisfying for me." I said, glaring at him.

Steven gulped. "You know what, let's just play something else." Steven said quickly.

I nodded, still glaring at Steven.

"How about we play Texas Hold 'Em Poker?" Doc suggested.

"Sure." I said.

To make a long story short, I won 3 games, Murphy won 2 games, Doc won 2 games, and Steven just completely sucked. He didn't win a single game.

I ran my hand through all of the Oxycontin and other stuff I'd won. "We don't have to give this back, do we?" I asked curiously.

"You have to give me back my Oxy kid. I don't have enough to spare to give it away." Doc said.

"Oh." I said, taking my hand away from the Oxy.

Steven stood up. "I'm all done with losing. I feel like this was a complete waste of time." Steven said, walking off.

"That's only because you didn't win anything." Murphy said. He was sporting a new cowboy hat he'd won.

I laughed at Murphy's remark as I dealt cards out again.

"You're all out." Warren said, walking over. "We need to start getting our rest up, if we're going to leave San Francisco within the next few days." Warren pointed out.

I picked up a pair of sunglasses I'd won from Steven and put them on. "But I'm not done winning yet." I said.

"You mean you're not losing yet." Murphy corrected.

I looked at Murphy through my sunglasses. "Last I checked, I've won more games than you." I pointed out.

Murphy was about to say something else, but all of sudden, a loud horn sounded outside.

I covered my ears as the horn blasted loudly. Everyone else did likewise.

"What is that?" 10K shouted loudly over the sound.

The noise died down suddenly. I uncovered my ears, which were ringing, and ran over to the window. I took my sunglasses off so I could see better.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like a truck was driving through the street, with four people standing up on the back with machine guns and flashlights. There was a giant horn on the front of the truck.

I looked closer at the people. They were all men, and they all were wearing military jackets.

I quickly backed away from the window. "Scavengers." I said. "Scavengers are here."

"Are you sure?" Vasquez asked. Warren walked over to the window to see for herself.

I nodded.

"Well, the good news is that they're going into the building across the street first." Warren said. "Which means, we need to get the hell out of here." Warren walked away from the window.

"We should split up." Roger said. "If we go in different directions, they can't follow us all at once."

"That's a good idea." Steven agreed.

I looked at Warren. I wanted to say that this was a bad idea, and that Roger couldn't be trusted, but I couldn't in front of everyone.

"Okay." Warren said finally. "We'll split up, and meet on the other side of San Francisco."

 _This is a very bad idea._

Warren and Roger split us all into four small groups; Warren, Murphy, and Steven in one group, Addy, Emilia, and Bob were in the second group, 10K, Vasquez, and Lucy in a third group, and then Roger, Doc and I in the last group.

When we were split up into groups, Roger quickly and quietly led us all over to the room across the hall.

"This is where we keep our weapons." Roger said as he opened the door.

The 'weapon room' wasn't as big as my old one, but it had some variety for weapons.

I grabbed a gun, some ammo, and some knives. I put the gun in my holster (that 10K had found for me while we were on the road), an ammo clip in my pocket, and the knives into my backpack.

As everyone else loaded up with equipment, I looked around the rest of the room. Something in the corner caught my attention. I walked over, and realized it was a staff.

I picked it up and felt it. It had been spray painted blue, and was pretty light, considering it was made out of some kind of metal.

"We found that in one of the rooms downstairs." Roger said. "Nobody uses it."

I spun it around in my hands and around my back. I hit the end of it on the ground. It didn't break.

I looked at Roger, who's mouth was hanging down. "I was the champ baton twirler for two years in a row in middle school." I said.

Roger didn't get to reply to that, because Warren started talking.

"Alright, since everyone's loaded up, we need to leave this building before the Scavengers start searching here." Warren said.

"We can go down the fire escape, and exit into the alley out back. We won't be seen then." Roger said.

We all headed down the hall towards the fire escape. As we ran down the stairs, we heard people shouting outside.

"What do you think they're shouting about?" 10K asked me.

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out either." I said. We reached the bottom floor, then ran out the back door.

When we were outside, we all went into our groups.

"Okay everyone, be careful out there." Warren said.

Everyone nodded, then we all started moving away from the building.


	9. Chapter 9

_**You know the best thing about writing a Fanfiction? One, is that you can write whatever you want, anyway you want it. You create your own characters, you tell stories your own way, it's just awesome. Two, is that you can start the Fanfiction in the off season of the tv show, movie, book, whatever you're writing about, and not have to worry about following the plot line of the show. That is also amazing.**_

* * *

We walked down the street quietly, trying not to draw attention from zombies and humans alike.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Doc asked.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I'm just following him." I said pointing at Roger.

Roger paid us no attention as he walked ahead of us.

I pulled Doc backwards a little as we walked. "I don't trust him." I whispered.

Doc looked at Roger. "Why not?"

I tried to think about what to say. "I don't know. He just doesn't really seem like the trustworthy type." I said.

"He seems trustworthy to me." Doc said.

I was about to say that he wasn't, when Roger stopped in front of us.

"We should take a quick break." Roger said, taking his backpack off and sitting down.

We were in front of another apartment building on the corner of some street. The only light we had was the moon, so it was hard to see our surroundings, but I was pretty sure this was where we were at.

"I don't think we should stop at all." I said.

"Why not?" Roger asked, looking up at me.

"Because we have Scavengers following us, and if they catch us, they'll kill us." I said sharply.

Roger shrugged. "They might not."

"I appreciate the optimist inside of you, but I prefer not to take any chance during the apocalypse." I said.

Roger didn't answer me.

I sighed, but didn't sit down. Instead, I practiced using my new staff.

"Damn kid, you're good with that." Doc commented.

"Thanks. I use to baton twirl in middle school." I said. I continued spinning the staff in my hands.

I noticed that Roger was watching me carefully, so I put my staff down again.

"We should leave." I said.

Roger stood up. "Yeah, we probably should. We've taken a long enough break." He said.

We started walking again.

After a little while, we ran into a problem. People were talking up ahead of us, and they were walking towards us.

The three of us looked at each other, then hid.

I hid in the darkness between the two buildings next to us. It was the only place I could think of, plus, I could hear what they were saying.

"This is stupid. We shouldn't be raiding this town, there's clearly nobody here." One of them said.

"Just because we haven't found anybody yet, doesn't mean that there's nobody in this town." Someone else said.

"Yeah, well, I still don't think we should be here. Especially when we can't even find Roger." The other guy replied.

I sucked in my breath.

 _What do they want with Roger?_

As they walked further away, I came out of hiding.

"Doc! Roger!" I whispered. No response.

I could feel panic rising in my chest. I had lost Doc, Roger was being hunted by Scavengers, and I was all alone in San Francisco. My worst nightmare come true.

I walked down the street quickly. I had to try and find Doc, and Roger as well, I guess.

"Doc!" I whispered quietly over and over again as I walked. It was no use. There was no response from anywhere, so I stopped calling out.

I turned another corner, and saw someone ahead. They were dragging someone else behind them.

I realized that the one walking was Roger. I was about to ask him what he was doing, when I realized that the person he was dragging was Doc.

I quietly followed him from far away. Far enough away that I could still see him, but that he couldn't see me.

As I followed, I tried not to think about what would happen to me if Roger noticed me following him.

They turned a corner, so I slowed down and waited a minute before turning the corner myself.

I watched Roger walk straight to towards the park at the end of the street. I could easily see him now, because the whole park was lit up with lights.

Roger walked up to the gates of the park and opened them. A bunch of other people came out, and started talking to Roger, while some other people took Doc from him. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but I recognized this place; it was a Scavenger base of operation, or an SBOO for short.

I watched Roger and the other Scavengers walk into the park and close the gate behind them. I wasn't going to get in that way, so I would have to find a different way in.

I snuck around the outer wall of the park, trying to find a low part of the wall. When I found it, I quickly climbed over.

I had never seen an SBOO, but I had to say that I was disappointed in it.

There was a tank, and lights, and a patrol going around, but there was only one tent, in the center of the park. I had been expecting a bigger base, but this was pretty small.

I hid behind a bush and looked out.

Next to the tent, there was a big group of people. Some of them were Scavengers, but the others were tied up and had a gun to their heads. I couldn't see Doc anywhere though.

I suddenly realized that I was doing something very stupid right now. I had no plan, no help, not enough ammo to take out all of the Scavengers here, and no escape plan. If that wasn't stupid, then nothing was.

I heard a noise to my left, and turned to see what it was. Next to the wall, hidden in the shadows, there was someone else looking out at the tent. I couldn't tell who it was, and I didn't know if I wanted to find out.

I looked back at the tent. There were less Scavengers there now.

I looked around, trying to figure out where they had gone.

"Well well well." Someone said behind me.

I spun around and started to reach for my gun, but there was already a gun pointed at me.

"Don't even try it." Roger said.

Roger and a couple of Scavengers were standing in front of me.

I pulled my hand away from my gun and stood up.

"I have to say, you don't look very surprised to see me." Roger commented.

I smirked. "I followed you here while you were dragging Doc. I've gotten over my surprise." I told him.

"Well then, I guess there's no point in trying to tell you that I'm a good guy, and you just don't see it yet." Roger said.

"I guess not." I said.

"Anyways, hand me your gun, your staff, and your backpack." Roger said.

I pulled my gun out and handed it to him. Then I dropped my staff and backpack in front of him.

The staff hit one of the Scavengers hard in the leg, making him yelp in pain.

I smiled.

"You think that's funny?" He asked. He didn't wait for me to answer. Instead, he punched me hard in the stomach.

I fell onto the ground, holding my stomach in pain.

The Scavenger knelt down next to me and pointed his gun under my chin. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because Roger wants you alive." He told me.

I didn't say anything.

The Scavenger took his gun away from me, then hit me hard on the head. I passed out.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Woohoo! Ten chapters. This is the farthest I've ever gotten in writing anything, so I feel very accomplished now. Also, I'm going to try and update a little more often. Yes I know that's the opposite of what I said in one of my previous chapters, but I have phases when it comes to my fanfics, so I choose something one day, then change my mind later. So yeah, sorry for being so confusing.**_

* * *

Someone shook me awake some time later. "Wake up kid."

My vision was blurry, so I couldn't tell who was talking to me. "Why?" I asked, trying to blink the blurriness away.

"Because I said so." The voice was much clearer and familiar now.

My vision cleared, and I realized that Roger was the one who was talking and standing over me.

I quickly stood up from where I had been lying on the ground. We were still in the park, only now, I was next to the Scavenger tent I'd seen earlier. "What do you want with me?" I asked him.

"Well, I want you to be the newest member of this group of Scavengers." Roger said, gesturing to around us.

I looked around and realized that there were several other Scavengers around us, not just Roger.

"Wait, you never said that she would be joining us." One of the Scavengers said.

"Well, now you know." Roger said.

"But we don't let women join us." The Scavenger continued.

Even though I didn't want to join them, I couldn't help but glare at this Scavenger.

 _Sexist bastard._

Roger sighed. "I've seen what this woman can do, and she'd be a very useful asset to us." He said.

"I'm not interested in joining a group of murderers." I said boldly.

Roger turned his attention back to me. "Well, if you really had a choice, then we wouldn't have taken you here." Roger said.

"If she really is going to join us, we should be allowed to see what she can do." A different Scavenger said. I recognized him as the Scavenger that had knocked me out.

"Fine then." Roger said. "Bring out her staff and that one guy, Louis, I think his name is." Roger instructed a couple of the Scavengers.

They nodded, and walked into the tent. They returned a minute later, with my staff and an elderly man. They made him kneel on the ground in front of me, and handed me my staff.

I eyed Roger suspiciously. "What's going on?" I asked.

"It's simple. You're going to prove your worth to us, by demonstrating your skills on this man." Roger said.

I tried to figure out what he meant by that. When I did, I was horrified. "You want me to kill him?" I asked.

Roger nodded. "You show us your skills with that staff, and you'll be accepted." Roger said.

I knew that I could easily kill this man, but I didn't want to. I'd told myself I wouldn't do this anymore. I also didn't want to join Roger and his group of Murdering Men.

"For the last time, I don't want to join you." I said. I threw my staff on the ground. It didn't break, but I still got my point through to Roger.

Roger stared at me. "Pick your staff up. Now." He said. I could hear in his voice that he was getting angry.

"No." I replied.

Roger pulled his gun out, and pointed it at me. "Pick it up, or I'll shoot you, here and now." He warned me.

I held my hands up. "Go ahead. I've had enough of the damn apocalypse anyways." I said.

Roger didn't shoot me. Instead he pointed his gun down at the ground. "Fine then. Maybe you can be persuaded in some other way." He said. He walked back into the tent, and returned a few seconds later. This time, he was joined by Lucy.

I started to walk towards him, but a Scavenger pointed his gun at me.

Lucy looked at me, but didn't say anything.

"If you don't kill this man, then she'll die." Roger said, pointing his gun at Lucy.

"Don't do anything for him Trin, he's going to kill me anyways." Lucy said.

"I won't shoot her if you kill this man." Roger said.

I stared at the both of them, my heart pounding in my chest. I knew Lucy was right, Roger was the kind of man who would kill someone, just because he wanted too.

"No." I said finally.

Roger sighed. "I guess Lucy was right. I would've killed her anyways." He said. He pulled the trigger, and shot Lucy in the stomach.

I started to run at Roger, but the Scavenger grabbed me from behind and held onto me tightly.

Roger let go of Lucy, who's body fell to the ground. Then Roger shot the elderly man in the head. He collapsed.

"You're a monster." I said, trying not to sob. "And I'm never going to join you."

Roger shrugged. "Neither of them were wanted or needed. And, to be honest, Lucy really pissed me off." He said, kicking her body.

I pulled against the Scavenger, but he held tight to me.

"And, you will join us, Trin." Roger said, walking towards me. "Because if you don't join us willingly, then the rest of your life will be miserable." He stopped next to me.

I stare at him. "The rest of my life already will be miserable." I said.

Before Roger could reply to that, a gun shot went off, and a bullet hit the Scavenger holding onto me in the head. He let go of me and collapsed.

While the Scavengers slowly reacted, I grabbed Roger's gun from him, and kicked him in the stomach. He fell to the ground, and I shot another one of the Scavengers in the stomach. He fell to the ground.

Several more gunshots went off, but none of the gunfire was directed at me. I realized that some of the dead Scavengers were going to go zombie, so I ran for the tent.

A Scavenger was walking out of the tent. I didn't stop to think; I just pulled the trigger on my gun, and shot the Scavenger in the head.

He collapsed to the ground, and I stepped over his body and walked into the tent. I saw Doc over near the side of the tent. He looked relieved to see me.

"Kid, I am super glad that we brought you along." Doc said as I untied him. After I finished with him, we started untying the other people in the tent.

"Where's Lucy at?" Doc asked me.

I looked at the ground. I was on the verge of screaming or crying.

Doc took that as answer by itself. "Sorry." He said.

I didn't respond to that. Instead, I made sure my gun still had ammo. "We need to go. Do you have everything you need?" I asked.

Before Doc could answer, someone behind me said "You're not going anywhere."

I spun around and pointed my gun at Roger, who was also pointing a gun at me.

"You ruined my whole operation." Roger said. "You refused to follow my orders, you've killed several of my men, and you couldn't simply kill a man because you were scared." He continued.

I smirked. "I didn't kill him because I was scared. I didn't kill him because I knew what would happen if I did." I said.

"Oh really? And what was that?" Roger said.

I noticed a zombie shadow on the side of the tent. "You're never going to find out." I said, looking behind him.

Roger turned to follow my gaze, and faced a zombie, which opened it's mouth, and bit down his shoulder.

Roger screamed, dropped his gun, and fell to the ground. More zombies came in to also start eating away at Roger.

I put my gun away. "Let's go out the back." I said. I started to walk away.

"Well, aren't you going to give him mercy?" Doc asked, stopping me.

I looked back at Roger's body. He wasn't screaming anymore. "He doesn't deserve mercy." I said coldly. I walked out of the tent.

Outside, Warren, Vasquez, Addy, Murphy, and 10K were grabbing stuff off the ground.

"Doc! Trin!" Addy shouted. She dropped everything she was holding and ran up and hugged us.

"I'm so glad you guys came." Doc said.

"How'd you find us?" I asked.

"Well, Vasquez saw Roger walking around, so he followed him to back here." Warren said.

"You were the person hiding in the shadows." I said, the realization dawning on me.

Vasquez nodded. "After I saw you taken, I found everyone else and told them what happened. Then we came back to rescue you guys." Vasquez said.

I looked around. "Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"They already took a truck and left. They wanted to get as far away from here as possible." Addy said.

"To be honest, so do I." 10K said. He shot a zombie that was starting to get a little too close to us. "Six thousand, four hundred and thirty-four." He counted off.

"Can we hurry up and leave?" Murphy called out. He was sitting on a truck. "We're almost out of San Francisco, and I think we should leave before more zombies start showing up."

"Murphy's right, let's get out of here." Warren said. "I'll take the first shift driving." She said.

We all piled into the new truck.

I looked over at the tent. I saw Lucy walking around. Only she wasn't Lucy anymore, or Elaine, or anyone. She was a zombie now.

I pulled my gun out and pointed it at her zombie corpse. "Lucy, I give you mercy." I cited off. I pulled the trigger. The bullet hit her in the head, and she fell to the ground.

I put my gun back into it's holster as we drove off.

"I'm sorry." Addy said to me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I shook off her hand. "It was going to happen sometime. Might as well have been now." I said. I leaned against the truck and looked at the streets and buildings.

 _I'm never coming back here ever again._


	11. Chapter 11

**_oneoddood:_** ** _Absolutely loved it! Trin is a badass, both mentally and physically! She stood her ground even in the face of certain death and didn't give in, I have to give her massive points for that. Also, 10k and his glorious head shots! Can't wait for more; thank you for yet another great chapter!_**

 ** _I'm glad everyone likes this so far. Also, shout out to the account above, because he's the only person to review this so far. People following this fanfic: you can go ahead and write me a review. It would be nice to have more than one person telling me their thoughts on this (not that I don't enjoy oneoddood's thoughts on this. he is an amazing reviewer)._**

* * *

 _I ran through the woods, but I don't know what I running from. I could hear it, and it sounded terrifying. I ran into a clearing, and stopped. There was a pit in front of me, filled with zombies. But it wasn't just zombies. My parents, my sister, Lucy, my grandmother, and other people I used to know were in the pit as well. I was about to start running around the pit, when something shoved me into the pit from behind. I screamed as I fell in._

Someone started shaking me awake.

"Kid, it's your turn to drive." Doc said.

I yawned and blinked. I was sitting shotgun of the truck. And, obviously, it was my turn to drive.

"Okay." I said. I got out of the truck and switched over to the driver's seat.

"I'll get 10K, since he's driving after you." Doc said.

I nodded, and waited for 10K and Doc to be ready. It was about mid-afternoon, and the sun was starting to set. I was glad I wouldn't have to drive in the dark for very long.

10K got into the passenger seat, and Doc moved to the back seat next to Murphy, who was snoring. I started up the engine and started driving again.

We sat in a silence for a while.

"You know, you never answered my question." 10K said.

I didn't look away from the road. "What question?" I asked, confused.

"Back at the barn, I asked you why you didn't try to go back to sleep when you woke up in the middle of the night. You never answered me." 10K said.

I vaguely remembered what he was talking about, but I didn't feel like answering it right now.

"Yeah, I remember." I said.

"That doesn't answer my question" 10K said.

I didn't say anything.

A few minutes of silence passed between us.

"Why don't you want to tell us anything about your past?" 10K asked finally.

I was getting annoyed with all of his questions. "How come you don't say anything about yourself?" I asked him.

"What?" 10K asked, surprised.

"You heard me. Why are you so pushy about learning about my past, when you don't even tell others about your own?" I asked him.

He didn't answer.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." I said.

We were both silent for a few minutes.

"I don't talk about my past because it's too painful." 10K said, breaking the silence. "Too many bad things have happened in the past, and when I talk about anything from my past, I can only remember the bad parts. Never the good ones."

I let that sink in. I always thought that I was the only person in the world who had demons in their past. I guess not.

"There. I answered your question, now answer mine." 10K demanded.

I thought for a minute. "I don't talk about my past, because it never works out well for me." I said finally.

"What do you mean?" 10K asked.

"I mean, that when people learn about my past, they usually take advantage of me, and it never works out well for me." I said, starting to get angry.

"But, why would people do that?" 10K asked.

"Because the zombie apocalypse brings out the worst in people, and I've learned that the hard way." I said quietly. "And nothing good ever happens to me afterwards."

10K was probably going to ask me something else, but I stopped him. "Look, you answered one of my questions, and I've already answered one of yours. We're even. So just... Stop asking me questions." I snapped angrily.

10K looked at me, then looked out his window.

I felt kind of bad, and also annoyed, sad, and angry. I shouldn't be taking my anger out on 10K, but I couldn't help it.

10K was probably going to ask me something else, but I stopped him. "Look, you answered one of my questions, and I've already answered one of yours. We're even. So just stop asking me questions." I snapped angrily.

10K looked at me, then looked out his window.

I felt kind of bad, and also annoyed, sad, and angry. I shouldn't be taking my anger out on 10K, but I couldn't help it.

"I guess you've met the worst kind of people then." 10K said after a while.

I didn't answer him. He was right, again. I'd met some of the worst people in the zombie apocalypse. And that was without Escorpion.

"You know Kid, you could try talking about your past." Doc suggested from the backseat.

I guess he hadn't fallen asleep.

"It could help, with any problems you're having." Doc continued.

I also guess he knew about the nightmares. "It probably won't."

"Kid, I was a psychiatrist before the world went to hell. It most likely will." Doc bragged.

 _Or it will change how you look at me, in a bad way._

"It won't work, and it will just upset me." I said.

"Well, cant we just try?" Doc said.

I sighed. "If it will get you guys to stop, then sure."

"Okay then. Close your eyes." He instructed.

I laughed. "Yeah. Close my eyes while I'm driving. Great idea." I said sarcastically.

"Pull over first, then close your eyes." Doc said.

I sighed, but did as he instructed.

When my eyes were closed, 10K asked me the first question. "Why did you wake up in the middle of the night?"

"Because of the nightmares."

"Of what?" Doc asked.

"Mostly my family. Sometimes it's Escorpion, or other people or things."

"Who's in your family?"

I tried not to get angry. "My parents, my grandmother. And my little sister Petunia."

"How old was Petunia?"

I tried to keep my emotions in check. If I didn't calm down, then I'd get angry, or upset, or a combination of both. "She was almost eight when the apocalypse started."

"Did she turn into a zombie?"

This question broke me. "I don't know." I said quietly, holding back tears. "No one was home when I finally made it back to them."

There was silence for a little while.

"I'm sorry Kid. I know how it feels to have someone in your life that you don't know whether they're alive or dead." Doc said. "Sometimes it's the worst part of the apocalypse."

I could tell in his voice that he wasn't lying, but his words didn't comfort me.

I opened my eyes. "Yeah well, sometimes nightmares can't always go away." I said sadly. I was about to start up the engine again, when I noticed someone walking down the road. I grabbed my gun. "What's that?" I asked.

Doc and 10K looked ahead as well. 10K picked up his rifle, and used it look ahead at them.

"Well, what is it kid?" Doc asked.

I felt kind of annoyed that 10K and I were both "kid", but I wasn't going to argue about that now.

I saw a smile grow on 10K's face as he tilted his rifle down. "Son of a bitch." He said, close to laughing.

"What is it?" Doc asked again.

10K turned and looked at us. "Sketchy and Skeezy." He said.

Doc burst into laughter.


	12. Chapter 12

_**RADIOLOGYFAIRY**_ _ **: I don't know, but more interaction with the group to show relationships might help to give us more "meat". I just keep wanting a bit more depth,though I like the story line you have going on.**_

 _ **What exactly do you mean by 'depth'? I would be very interested to know.**_

 ** _oneoddood: Inte_** ** _resting as always; loved it! I wonder what's so bad in Trin's past that she feels they would hate her afterwards if she were to tell them. I love how 10k and Doc are trying to help her talk about it and open up, though I'm guessing it's not going to easy for them because Trin seems like a strong willed and stubborn person. Sketchy and Skeezy are back; shenanigans are sure to follow! I wonder how they will respond to Trin and vice versa? Thanks again for another chapter; I can't wait for more!_**

 ** _I wouldn't say hate her, just... look at her differently then they already do._**

 _ **scifigrrl:**_ _ **Sketchy & Skeezy-ha! There's not enough Z Nation fics. Very happy to find yours-thanks!**_

 ** _Thank you!_**

 ** _Thanks to everyone for the new reviews!_**

* * *

I looked out my window. Sure enough, Sketchy and Skeezy were walking down the road towards us. I sighed.

 _Not these two morons again._

Doc and 10K got out of the car.

"Wait, how do you know it's them?" I asked, quickly getting out of the car after them. "It could be a mistake."

"You know those two?" 10K asked me.

I looked down the road as the two guys got closer. "Kind of." I answered.

By the time we'd woken everyone up, Sketchy and Skeezy were at the truck. Skeezy was pulling a wagon behind him. There was a blanket covering it, so I couldn't see what was inside of it.

"If ain't Tweedledee Dee and Tweedledum-ass." Doc said, smiling.

"Doc!" Sketchy said, walking over to us. "How'd you get to Australia?" He asked.

I looked at him funnily. "You're in California. The United States. Not Australia." I told him.

Skeezy and Sketchy exchanged looks. "I told you we should've gone right at the river, not left!" Skeezy said.

"Okay okay, now I know that I had been right before." Sketchy said.

"Yeah! I can't believe how wrong I was." Skeezy said, agreeing.

I sighed, and rolled my eyes.

Sketchy looked at me. "Well well well, who is this fine lady." He said, picking up my hand and kissing it.

I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand away from him. "Do you really not recognize me?" I asked him.

"I'm certainly would remember someone as beautiful as you." Sketchy said.

I rolled my eyes again. "About a year ago, you were in Arkansas, and you sold me an overpriced gun." I said.

Sketchy thought for a minute. "You know, that kind of rings a bell." He said.

"And that gun was filled with blanks, which does not scare off zombies." I continued. "If anything, it just brings them closer."

"You know, now that I think about it, that may have not been the best thing to do." Skeezy said.

"Yeah." I said. "And, you charged me more to get actual bullets."

"Well, my associate apologizes for causing you any trouble that may have passed your way." Sketchy said. "And let me just tell you, it was all Skeezy's fault."

Skeezy looked at Sketchy. "That was your idea!" He said.

"Yes, it was your idea." Sketchy replied.

"Yeah!" Skeezy said again.

I sighed. "You guys haven't changed one bit." I said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment sweetheart." Sketchy said.

"Can they leave now?" I asked.

"They may be idiots, but they've gotten us out of some problems before." Warren said.

"They've also gotten us into problems." Vasquez said.

"We just want a ride for a little bit. And we did warn you about the Mississippi River zombies." Sketchy said.

"I was talking about almost getting 10K killed." Vasquez said.

I looked at 10K. "They almost got you killed?" I asked him.

10K shrugged. "It wasn't that bad." He said.

"See! Even the kid wants us to join you!" Sketchy said, patting 10K on the back.

"And, if it helps, we even have payment." Skeezy said. He pulled the blanket off of the wagon.

I stared at the wagon. It was filled with food, water, guns, and ammo.

"How did you get all of that?" Addy asked.

"Well, when you think you're travelling in another country, you usually pack as much stuff as you can." Sketchy said. "We have enough food, water, ammo and guns to survive an explosion." He continued.

"I hope that doesn't happen again." Warren muttered.

"Okay, I said sorry about that." Murphy said. He was awake, and had rolled down the window so he could listen to us from inside the truck.

"I don't remember you saying sorry." 10K said.

"Can we get back to our current situation?" I asked, gesturing towards Sketchy and Skeezy.

Warren thought for a minute. "Guys, come over here. Murphy, watch those two." She instructed. Vasquez, Addy, 10K, Doc and I followed Warren to the back of the truck.

"I think we should bring them." Warren said when we were out of earshot of Sketchy and Skeezy.

"No!" I said.

"Warren has a point. They have a lot of food and water, and our supply is starting to dwindle." Vasquez said. "As much as it pains me to say it, I think they should come along too."

"You can't be serious." I muttered.

"What's the worse that could happen?" Addy asked. Warren looked at her. "Forget I asked that." Addy said.

"Trin, it won't be that bad." Warren started.

"Yes it will! They played a con on me, and almost got me killed!" I said. "And you're asking me to trust them!"

"I'm not asking you to trust them. I'm asking you to trust me." Warren said.

I sighed.

"Trin, do you trust me?" Warren asked me.

I nodded.

"Then they can come along. Their only going to be with us for a while, and it's like Addy said. What's the worse that could happen?" Warren said.

"I hope we're not making a huge mistake." I muttered.

We walked back to the front of the truck, where Sketchy, Skeezy and Murphy were talking.

"So then, I said, 'It's gonna cost you a lot more than that!" Sketchy said. Murphy and Skeezy burst out laughing.

"Warren, I hope you said these guys can come, because Sketchy here just told us an amazing story." Murphy said.

"I can re-tell it to you now if you would like." Sketchy said.

"No, that's fine." I said quickly.

Sketchy shrugged. "Okay then."

"So, we thought about it, and we decided that you two can come along for a little bit." Warren said.

"Great, because my legs are going to fall off soon." Sketchy said. "Where are we going?"

"That, we don't know yet." Doc said.

"Warren, I think we should leave now." I said, looking down the road. Warren followed my gaze. There was a large group of zombies shambling down the road towards us, and it was almost completely dark.

"I think that's a good idea. Everyone into the truck." Warren said. She hopped into shotgun, 10K sat in the driver's seat, Murphy rolled up the window, and the rest of us got into the back of the truck.

I helped Skeezy put the wagon into the truck, then I hit the side hard. 10K started up the car, and we started driving again.


	13. Chapter 13

_**RADIOLOGYFAIRY: Hi! What I meant was to keep giving us a little more background and involvement to catch our attention. Make us feel more invested in Trin and what's happening.**_

 ** _I'll try to :-)_**

 ** _Sorry I've been offline for a while. I've been very busy._**

* * *

It was about six or seven hours later before we stopped again. The sun was just starting to rise again, so pretty much everyone was awake when Addy pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking around. We were at one of those rest stops that are just off the highway. There weren't any zombies, surprisingly, but there were some picnic tables, a few buildings, and some abandoned cars.

"I figured, since we're all probably hungry, that we could have a picnic breakfast here. Instead of just, you know, eating on the side of the road, in the back of a pickup truck, like usual." Addy answered, stepping out of the truck.

"That seems like a good plan." Warren said, hopping out of the back of the truck.

I shrugged, and hopped out of the truck. The others followed suit.

"Doc, grab the food. Sketchy and Skeezy, stay here." Warren instructed. "Everyone else, spread out, and check for zombies."

We nodded, and spread out. I went over by the bathrooms, and carefully went into the ladies room. I checked each stall. Empty. No zombies, just toilets and toilet paper.

 _That's strange_

I walked back out of the bathroom. I didn't check the men's room. Vasquez or 10K could check that out, but I most certainly wasn't. I made my way over to the picnic table, where everyone else was waiting.

"Is it clear?" Warren asked.

I nodded. "It's strange. I mean, the whole area is clean of zombies. That doesn't just happen naturally." I said.

"Maybe someone else cleared this out before we got here a little while ago." Doc said, coming up to the table with some food and with Sketchy, Skeezy, and Murphy.

"Let's just eat quickly, then get out here, just in case." Warren said.

We all agreed, and then started eating.

"I wonder where 'The Murphy' is right now." Sketchy wondered out loud.

We all exchanged looks.

"What makes you think he's still alive?" Addy asked carefully.

"Oh, a guy like that, he's probably living like a king right now." Sketchy said.

I tried to hold back a laugh. "You sound like you've actually seen him before." I said.

"That's because I have." Sketchy said.

I swallowed some of my food. "Then, what's he look like?" I asked, curious.

Sketchy stood up. "He's almost ten feet tall, with razor like teeth. He can control your mind, and make you do terrible things." He said in a story telling voice.

I started laughing.

Sketchy looked at me. "Is something funny?" He asked, clearly offended.

"Yeah, it's the fact that you've never really seen 'The Murphy'." I said.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Sketchy asked.

"Yes I am."

"And what makes you think I'm lying?"

I glanced over at Murphy, who hadn't said anything, but was clearly listening to the conversation. "Because I've actually seen 'The Murphy', and that's not what he looks like." I said, looking back at Sketchy.

"So, what does he actually look like?" Skeezy asked, sitting back down.

I stood up. "He's got blood red eyes. He has long gray hair, and a beard too. He has sonar hearing, and an amazing sense of smell. He can smell you from a mile away, so by the time you find him, he already knows you're there."

Sketchy and Skeezy leaned in a little bit, clearly thirsty for more.

So I continued. "He lives in an old abandoned shack, and only comes out at night, which is when he hunts for food. He eats rabbits and field mice and then, before sunrise, goes back to his shack, to sleep the day away." I finished, sitting back down. "That's the real Murphy story for you."

"How exactly do you know all of this?" Sketchy asked.

"I had the opportunity to meet him." I said, sitting down. "Everything you just heard comes from first hand experience."

"Can we talk about something else?" Murphy asked, interrupting the conversation. "Like, I don't know, when are we planning on leaving?"

Vasquez stood up. "I think we should check out that building first. There might be some supplies there." He said, gesturing towards the main building near the bathrooms.

Warren stood up too. "Vasquez is right, we should check that out. Addy and 10K, come with me and Vasquez to check out that building. Trin and Doc, keep an eye out. And everyone else, try not to wander off." On the last part, she looked at Murphy, who just shrugged.

Warren, Vasquez, 10K, and Addy walked over to the building, leaving the rest of us at the table.

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel like taking a walk." Sketchy said, standing up.

"Me too." Skeezy said, standing up as well.

"Warren said not to wander off." I pointed out.

"We're not wandering off. We're just going over to look at the cars." Sketchy said.

I sighed as they walked over towards one of the cars. "Were they this stupid before the apocalypse too?" I wondered out loud.

Doc laughed, and Murphy rolled his eyes.

We sat there for a few minutes in silence.

"Shouldn't they have been back by now?" I asked, looking over at the car they had been at before. There was no one there now.

Doc quickly looked around. "Yeah, they should have been."

I suddenly had a bad feeling. "Doc, clean up all of the food, and get Murphy back to the truck."

Doc started packing up the food, and I pulled my gun out and headed over to the cars.

"Sketchy?" I called out quietly. "Skeezy?"

I noticed something shiny on the path up ahead, and ran over to it.

It was a gun.

I knelt down to pick it up. I was pretty sure this was the gun that Sketchy had been carrying.

I started to stand up again, when something hit me hard on the back of the head. I fell onto the ground, and blacked out.


End file.
